Accessibility Links

Zimbabwe admits polls were flawed

Robert Mugabe was awarded 61 per cent of the presidential ballotPHILIMON BULAWAYO/REUTERS

Election chiefs in Zimbabwe have admitted for the first time that last week’s presidential polls were tainted with massive irregularities affecting the votes of more than half a million people.

The nine-member Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said that 512,000 people were either turned away or had been “assisted” by officials to cast their vote because they were rendered incapable. A total of 3.4 million people voted in the disputed election.